My life changed after Monsoon Wedding: Parvin Dabas

Parvin Dabas, Indian actor and model, made his film debut with Dillagi, but it was Monsoon Wedding that gained him limelight. He has since appeared in over 10 Bollywood films. Later, he turned to direction with Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande. We got in touch with this very talented man for a freewheeling chat for our ‘Behind the Lens’ segment. Read on… How did you start your career? (smiles) Having started my career as a model, the first ad that I did was for A1 chai (tea) and later featured in more than 50 advertisements. Later, I got an opportunity to work in a film titled Dillagi in 1999 followed by Monsoon Wedding, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, Khosla Ka Ghosla, My Name Is Khan among many others. Making a career move, I got into film direction with Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande that won a Bronze Palm Award at the 2011 Mexico International Film Festival. When do you think you reached the ladder of success? Initially, there was a time when I was without work for six months. But, I thought to myself that no matter what happens, I will give my best. But life changed with Monsoon Wedding. It was a pleasure working with Mira Nair. She is so talented and down-to-earth as a person. The film gave me worldwide recognition and after that, there has been no looking back for me. Then I did Khosla Ka Ghosla -a comedy with an emotional edge. How was your experience directing Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande? It was a great experience. In fact, this film is very close to my heart. The characters are based on the life of common people. I could relate to the film because I also belong to a small town. Hence, I knew how to go about this project. I have worked really hard for it. To you, what is best, acting or direction? (pauses) Direction any day. Direction is difficult than acting. It’s all upon a director to make a good or bad film. He has to think about all the characters, but I am enjoying doing so. On the personal front, how is life after marriage? It’s been more than four years now that I got married to Preeti (Jhangiani); life is beautiful after marriage. Now, I have become more focused and am concentrating on my career. Are you enjoying parenthood? Parenthood is an amazing experience altogether. After a long tiring day, I like to spend time with my lovely 19-month old son Jayveer and my wife. However, there is a lot of responsibility also but I am enjoying this phase. What are your future projects? Right now, I am directing three films namely Thodi Biwi Thodi Ex, a comedy, Jab Tum Kaho and Love Isn’t Mathematics, a romantic film.